GCC

The Genesee Community College men’s baseball team took two from Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon, winning game one 8-7 and game two 5-1.

Genesee got off to a fast start in game one when starting pitcher Sean Stanley (Holley, NY) retired the first three batters in a  row. The Cougars took the lead in the home-half of the first inning when leadoff hitter Tyler Koronas (Naples, FL) singled and then scored on a Brandon Collins (Toronto, Canada) sacrifice fly.

Erie responded with seven runs in the second inning on four hits, two hit batters and two walks to take a 7-1 lead. The Cougars came right back and scored six runs in the second, highlighted by back-to-back two-RBI hits by Emmanuel Garcia (Rio-Grande, PR) and Rafael Lozada (Santo Domingo, DR), to tie the game at 7.

Adam Pratt (Batavia, NY) came in to relieve Stanley in the third inning and shut the door. The freshman hurler finished the final five innings of the game and did not allow a run while giving up three hits and striking out four.

#12 Adam Pratt earned the win on the mound for GCC in game on against Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon

Genesee scored the game winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Bryan Depew (Wellsville, NY) reached on an error, was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Jose Alicea (St. Croix, VI), and was cashed in on a game-winning RBI single by Sean Sutton (Toronto, Canada).

Sutton finished game one going 2-4, Koronas scored two runs, and Pratt picked up the win on the mound.

#16 Sean Sutton delivers the game-winning hit in game one against Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon

In game two, the Cougars again jumped out to an early lead with Koronas scoring a first inning run on an RBI double by Garcia. Genesee added one run in the second and three in the fifth to build a lead they would not relinquish.

Starter Dan Harms (Hamburg, Germany) went five innings, struck out four batters and only allowed one run en-route to earning the win. Kyle Taylor (Ajax, Canada) earned a six-out save by not allowing a run and giving up one hit and striking out one.

Koronas again scored two runs, Lozada went 1-2 with two runs batted in and Garcia went 3-4 with a run scored and a run batted in.

Genesee improves to 12-5 on the season and will play at Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday at 1pm.

Press release:

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) has voted to award accreditation status to the new Polysomnographic Technology associates degree program at Genesee Community College.

The two-year sleep studies program is the first program of its kind in New York State. It offers students the opportunity to earn an Associates of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in one of the fastest growing health concerns today, covering 84 classifications of sleep disorders from sleep apnea to insomnia to narcolepsy.

Students enrolled in the Polysomnographic Technology program take courses including Anatomy, Physiology, Sleep Study Implementation, Sleep Disorders, Environmental Chemistry and General Psychology, and two clinical practice courses in a local sleep clinic to apply the skills they've acquired in a real-world setting.

Program Director Marshann Thomas says students who earn their degrees in this program have a wide variety of career options, including working with doctors to diagnose sleep-related problems, working in sleep laboratories to provide intensive clinical observations and counseling patients on the use of breathing and other devices that help them get a good night's sleep.

"We are equipping future leaders in sleep medicine with the knowledge and skills essential to providing compassionate, quality care to patients and their families," says Thomas, who is a Registered Respiratory Care Practitioner. "PSG is a career worth dreaming about!"

The program's first eight graduates will earn their degrees in May.

Also in May, GCC will once again host a seminar by K & M Medical, Inc. The seminar offers a comprehensive review of the principles of PSG for technicians preparing for their certification exams. The two-day review includes a study manual and sample questions from the sleep boards. For more information about the seminar, visit: http://kmmed.com/docs/genesee_may2012.pdf.

There are 60 sleep clinics registered across the state, with projections of continued growth, and several GCC second-year students are currently working as sleep techs.

GCC's program was endorsed by a peer review, conducted by the Committee on Accreditation for Polysomnographic Technologist Education. Accreditation standards for the discipline are established by the CAAHEP, along with the American Association of Sleep Technologists, American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists.

For more information, contact Polysomnographic Technology Program Director Marshann Thomas at 343-0055, ext. 6188, or at mythomas@genesee.edu.

Information is also available by visiting GCC's website: http://www.genesee.edu/academics/programs/health/sleep/

The Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team traveled to Monroe Community College on Wednesday afternoon and came away with their fourth victory of the season, defeating the Tribunes 9-7.

The Cougars trailed 4-2 early in the second quarter before coming back and tying the game on a Jon Gill (Cattaraugus Territory) goal with about 30 seconds remaining in the half.

MCC scored two quick second half goals to reclaim the lead, but the Cougars' defense and goalie Pat McMahon (Amherst, NY) shut the door after that. Genesee's offensive comeback began after a Joe Pedro (Batavia, NY) goal that sparked five unanswered tallies, including goals from Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) and Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) and gave GCC a 9-6 lead.

Monroe scored once in the fourth quarter but could not find the back of the net after that.

McMahon made 18 saves in net and defender Dave Lehman (Edmonton, AB) had five take-aways. Rashad Brown (Lockport, NY) and Mike Breindel (Hamburg, NY) combined to go 10 of 18 on faceoffs.

Latimer finished with three goals and two assists, Gill tallied three goals and also had an assist and Printup and Pedro both finished with a goal a piece.

Genesee improves to 4-1 on the season and will host Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.



The Genesee Community College women's lacrosse team fell to Jefferson Community College on Wednesday afternoon, 19-2.

Jefferson recorded the first 16 goals of the contest before Anna Modera (Geneva, NY) scored her sixth goal of the season about eight minutes into the second half. Modera scored the Lady Cougars' second and final goal as well with just over 1:30 left in the game.

(#7 Anna Modera scores her seveth goal of the season as teammate Alicia Lewis #15 looks on)

Sarah Bosa (Buffalo, NY) made 13 saves in net. Jen Nelson recorded three ground balls and Karen Brennon caused two turnovers.

Genesee falls to 0-2 on the season and will host Niagara County Community College on Sunday afternoon at 1pm.

The Genesee Community College women's lacrosse team dropped their season opener on Sunday morning, falling to the Community College of Baltimore County- Essex 20-6.

The Lady Cougars trailed by a goal early before Anna Modera (Geneva, NY) tied the game at one with her first goal of the season. After two straight Essex goals, Arielle Lambert (Caledonia, NY) kept Genesee close with a goal to cut the Lady Knights' lead to 3-2. Essex took control from there, scoring the final 11 goals of the first half and took a 14-2 lead into halftime.

The Lady Knights scored four more unanswered goals to start the second half before Modera ended the Genesee scoreless streak with her second goal of the game. She would add three more goals, but it was not enough as the Lady Cougars fall to 0-1 on the season.

Anna Modera #7 scores five goals in Genesee's season opener

Modera finished with five goals.

The Lady Cougars will play at home again on Wednesday when they host Jefferson Community College at 4pm.

Press release:

Old-fashioned treasure hunting goes high-tech with geocaching! Adventure seekers of all ages are welcome to test their skills, learn how to use high-tech tools to search for clues, and enjoy the outdoors while on a treasure hunt with Genesee Community College's Geocaching Program.

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt using hand-held GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of latitude and longitude coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache container hidden at that location. Containers store items such as a log book, and usually a surprise or two to make the challenge more exciting.

GCC is offering two beginner classes for those looking to start this stimulating hobby, and an advanced class for those who've already experienced the thrill of the hunt.

Geocaching 101 will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 14, and again from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15.

The half-day introductory program will start with a brief overview of what geocaching is and how it works, and then participants will use GPS units to find a geocache hidden on the grounds of the Batavia campus. Participants should wear clothing and footwear suitable for a walk in the woods.

Registration for these introductory classes can be done online: http://www.genesee.edu/best/courses/getCourseInfo/?CourseID=575. Each class is $15 and includes the use of a GPS unit (or you can bring your own!).

Advanced "cachers" can register for the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. class on Saturday, July 14, by visiting this website: http://www.genesee.edu/best/courses/getCourseInfo/?CourseID=576. The cost for the advanced class is $18.

Experienced cachers who register for the advanced class will learn about management tools, queries, the relatives of geocaching and then take part in a field trip to a local park to hunt for various types of caches. They will be joined by other veteran geocachers, including Elizabeth Downie, from GCC's Math, Science and Career Education division, who teaches the geocaching classes.

Downie, who uses the ID 'authorized users', and other veterans -- Sabrefan7, ElbaPatch, HFJohn and BarbershopDru -- will share their secrets and caching insights with participants. Well-known local cacher GadgetCHC, who has logged more than 16,000 finds, will also be attending the field trip!

"Geocaching is more than just running into the woods to find a container," Downie said. "Geocaching involves knowledge, skill, planning, research, challenges and persistence. You need to employ your brain and five senses while searching and you have to be respectful of your surroundings."

The classes are among those offered through The BEST Center's Leisure Learning Program. For further information or to register, call The BEST Center at 345-6868 or visit: www.bestcenter.org.

The fourth-ranked Genesee Community College men’s lacrosse team cruised past Broome Community College on Wednesday night, defeating the Hornets 19-3 in their home opener of the 2012 season.

Coming off of their first win of the year against Finger Lakes Community College last week, the Cougars were on the board early when Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) scored his 13th goal of the season to give Genesee the 1-0 lead. Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) and Jon Gill (Cattaraugus Territory) followed with back-to-back goals to put Genesee out in front 3-0 with about five minutes gone by in the first quarter. The Hornets would fight back, scoring the next two goals to cut the GCC lead down to one before the Cougars took control of the game. Genesee scored the next ten goals of the first half, including a second from Latimer and Printup and a second and third from Gill, and held a 13-2 lead at the half.

GCC goalie #11 Pat McMahon makes one of his eight saves on Wednesday night against Broome Community College

The second half was more of the same as Joe Pedro (Batavia, NY) continued the Genesee scoring streak with an early third quarter goal that put the Cougars on top 14-2. Latimer scored his third goal of the game before Broome ended their scoreless drought and a 12-goal GCC scoring streak, tallying their third and final goal of the game. The Cougars would add one more third quarter goal and three goals in the fourth quarter and cruised to the 16 goal victory.

Genesee celebrates #10 Neil Kabesh's fourth quarter goal in a 19-3 win

Gill ended the night with five goals and two assists. Printup tallied three goals and four assists, Latimer netted three goals and also had an assist and Rashad Brown (Lockport, NY) was 13 of 15 on face-offs and also led the team in ground balls with nine.

Genesee split time between three goalies on the night. Pat McMahon (Amherst, NY) saw 30 minutes of action and stopped eight shots, Zack Wilson (Lewis Center, OH) played 15 minutes and made five saves and Brady Lawrence (St. Catherines, Ontario) also played 15 minutes and stopped the only shot he saw.

The Cougars improve to 2-1 on the season and will play next at Jefferson Community College on Saturday at 4pm.

By month's end, the social networking site Facebook will require businesses to convert their pages to the new "Timeline" format. Genesee Community College has already made the switch, with some interesting highlights from the school's history.

In addition to the current college news and activities visitors have come to expect, the new Timeline format offers a look back at some of the unusual and noteworthy events that helped shaped the institution since its founding in 1966.

With a click on the decade links on the right side of the page, visitors are taken back in time to read about events such as the 1974 concert by current mega-band Aerosmith, when students could see the show for just $1, or check out pictures of the college's original Batavia campus at the site of the former Valu Discount Store on West Main Street.

"The new Timeline format provides us with the opportunity to tell the college's story in a very visual and interactive format," said Kevin Manne, GCC's new media specialist. "Thanks to the Genesee Community College Archives, we were able to take some key moments from GCC's rich 45-plus year history out of a room in the Alfred C. O'Connell Library and share it with the world."

Other noteworthy events on the Timeline include the iconic Batavia Campus clock tower being installed with cranes in 2001, construction of the College Road campus in 1972 and all the campus center openings starting in the 1990s.

Alumni, faculty, staff, students and the community are encouraged to share their photos from past GCC events on the page to be included as a part of its Timeline.

To view it and share your memories, visit http://www.facebook.com/GeneseeCommunityCollege and click the "Like" button at the top of the page. You'll also receive college news, events, photos and videos right in your Facebook news feed.

A diverse catalog of art projects produced by Genesee Community College Fine Arts students will be on display in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery later this month.

The display reflects coursework from painting, drawing, photography, ceramics and 2D and 3D design classes.

The exhibition runs from March 22 through April 26, with two artists' receptions to welcome the public to view the works. The opening reception is at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 29, with a second community reception set from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 30. Many of the student artists will be present and refreshments will be served at both events.

"Teaching students how to both make and display artwork is an integral part of our mission here at GCC," says Shirley Verrico, gallery director and GCC instructor. "We are fortunate to be able to do so in a state-of-the-art gallery."

Among the projects are hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramics pieces that Fine Arts and Ceramics assistant professor Maureen "Moi" Dugan describes as a mix of various methods and approaches.

"It's awesome to see a non-art major blossom in the studio," Dugan said. "They may be hesitant when they start the class, but have a fine body of work when they leave!"

The drawings and paintings run the gamut from Impressionist to finely detailed drawings and the three-dimensional pieces focus on structural works using foam cores, mixed media and "found objects."

Fine arts and photography instructor Andrew Super says the black and white photos in the exhibit express a great range of interests and backgrounds of GCC students. Most of the photos presented are from independent projects where students are asked to look at the world around them and respond to their environment via the camera. The result is an eclectic mix of images, ranging from narratives to abstract expressions of the everyday world.

Rehearsals and set construction are well under way as Genesee Community College prepares to launch its Spring 2012 theatrical season with a production of the Neil Simon comedy "God's Favorite."

The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 29 when the GCC Forum Players, in conjunction with the Genesee Center for the Arts, take the stage in the Stuart Steiner Theatre.

"God's Favorite" is loosely based on the biblical Book of Job, with God and Satan making a bet involving a wealthy Long Island businessman whose faith is tempted by a wisecracking messenger from God.

The cast and crew, under the direction of Fine and Performing Arts Director Maryanne Arena, reflect the GCC community of faculty and students, as well as local performers. They include Jerry Newell, of Attica, as pious businessman Joe Benjamin, and Rochester's Ben Liebrand as the tempter Sidney Lipton.

Rounding out the cast is: Patrick Dodge, of Warsaw, as prodigal son David Benjamin; Tyler Eldred, of Dansville, as son Ben Benjamin; Perry's Sara Stabley as Ben's twin sister Sarah Benjamin; Nikole Marone, of Batavia, in the role of Joe's long-suffering wife Rose Benjamin; Rochester's Whitney Sellers as maid Mady; and Bobby Steeves, of Albion, as the butler Morris.

GCC technical theater faculty member Ed Hallborg tackles the set design and technical direction of the comedy, with students Alison Scharvella (Copake Lake) and Roger Williams (Kendall) sharing stage manager duties.

"The cast and crew work incredibly hard and have shown an amazing amount of dedication to their craft," Arena said. "I am extremely proud of each and every one of our performers and crew members."

In addition to the debut performance on Thursday, tickets are also available for the 7:30 p.m. shows on Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, as well as a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 1.

General admission prices are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (55+), students and GCC faculty and staff, and $3 for Genesee students with valid ID. GCC alumni receive a $2 discount with valid alumni ID card. The theater box office is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and one hour before the start of each performance.

Reserve tickets are available through the box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu or by calling (585) 345-6814. Payment is accepted via cash, checks, and Visa or MasterCard credit cards.

Genesee Community College is located in Batavia, just two minutes from NYS Thruway Exit 48. Visit http://genesee.edu for door-to-door directions sent via email.

Press release:

Students interested in a career caring for animals can learn more about the details of Genesee Community College's Veterinary Technology program during information sessions on the Batavia campus next month.

The college will host two meetings to introduce incoming students, as well as those still in high school and the general public, to the exciting possibilities of a career as a veterinary technician. Both sessions will be held Thursday, April 5.

Meetings will take place in the Conable Technology Building, Room T119, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Among topics that will be discussed:

• Careers in veterinary technology
• The application and admissions process
• Academic requirements
• Program prerequisites
• Degree and licensure
• Frequently asked questions

For more information, contact program Director Kathryn Seweryniak at 343-0055, ext. 6187, or via email at keseweryniak@genesee.edu.

Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to once again offer an exciting hands-on opportunity for area middle- and high-school students to apply what they know about technology and learn even more. The fifth annual Tech Wars competition will take place this Thursday, March 15 at the Batavia campus.

The competition is open to middle- and high-school students, who will participate in multiple project-based events of skill, chance and ability. Events will include CO2 dragster design; AutoCAD technical drawing and architectural design; logo design; manual drafting; sculpture; web page design; bridge design; catapult; mousetrap cars; robot tractor pull; Rube Goldberg demonstration; king of the hill and the ever-popular sumo robots.

Teams of students aged 9 through 14 will also compete in the NXT/RCX robotic marshmallow catapult launch to try to propel their marshmallows the farthest from various points.

"The interest in this competition continues to grow each year because it's fun, but it also illustrates the how the broad range of careers in technology young people can explore," said Debbie Dunlevy, GCC tech prep program director and co-chair of the Tech Wars competition. "The Tech Wars encourage kids to think beyond the classroom, engage their creativity and strengthen their team-building and problem-solving skills to embrace technology as a fun, yet rewarding, way to make a living."

College Tech Prep helps students explore various career options and make a smooth transition from high school to college and ultimately to professional careers. The Tech Wars is among several dynamic programs giving students the opportunity to learn hands-on, often in business settings and with industry professionals.

For more information, please contact Debbie Dunlevy, Genesee Community College tech prep program director at 343-0055, ext. 6316, or dkdunlevy@genesee.edu or visit the Tech Wars website at http://www.techwarsgcc.org.

"Family Matters" is the theme for the next three-part segment being offered through the "People's Law Series," a collaborative initiative between the Genesee Community College's BEST Center and the Genesee County Bar Association.

Each of the following three seminars, being offered as part of GCC's Leisure Learning non-credit community workshops, are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday evenings at Genesee Community College, Batavia campus in room T102. Each seminar costs $10 and will be presented by well-known local attorneys who have extensive experience in Family Court proceedings.

For the updated list of courses visit: http://www.genesee.edu/best/development/leisure-learning/ and contact The BEST Center to register by calling 345-6868.

Seminar I -- March 13
"Getting Past Your Breakup -- Custody, Visitation and Child Support"

Presenters: Robert B. McCutcheon, Esq.; Peter M. Casey, Esq.

This session will focus on the definitions of sole versus joint custody and the custodial parent. Attendees will learn about child support payment plans and other financial responsibilities, as well as court orders and attorney representation, mediation, and understanding who makes the decisions regarding a child's health, education, religion, and general welfare.

Seminar 2 -- April 17
"Matrimonial Actions"

Presenters: Deborah L. Burhans, Esq.; Benjamin J. Bonarigo Sr., Esq.

Divorce is a life-changing event and understanding the principals of matrimonial law can only help ease the transition and process. Spousal support, distribution of marital assets and debt, taxation, health insurance and separate property principles are among the topics of this session.

Seminar 3 -- May 15
"Juvenile and Family Offense Matters"

Presenters: Durin B. Rogers, Esq., Deputy County Attorney for Genesee County

When the actions and behavior of children result in Family Court proceedings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members and friends are all concerned and need information. Knowing about the Juvenile Delinquency proceedings, PINS (People in Need of Supervision), and understanding the legal ramifications of truancy, substance abuse, sexting, bullying, fighting, stealing, the destruction of property and the Family Offense proceedings are among the topics covered in this session.
 

"Family matters often involve and are a significant concern to the greater family network including grandparents, aunts, uncles and others. This series is affordable and specifically segmented to target an array of different Family Court issues," Ray Chaya, director of The BEST Center and coordinator of the new Leisure Learning program said.

Durin B. Rogers, Esq., president of the Genesee County Bar Association noted that the series allows for local attorney's to give back to the community. "This segment of the People's Law Series provides an excellent general reference point for domestic situations that impact many families at one time or another." It should be noted that the three-part series is provided as a public service for general reference information and is not intended to be legal advice for specific cases.

Founded in 1912, the Genesee County Bar Association is a voluntary professional association that pools the collective talents and experiences of approximately 100 member judges, lawyers, and legal professionals across the county to improve the practice of law, advance the goals of the justice system, and benefit the community.

As the BEST Center's Leisure Learning division continues to develop and introduce new programs, the public is invited to share ideas and opinions for future topics. A short Leisure Learning online survey is available at: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EGQ7R6K59/ and all survey participants will be entered into the Leisure Learning drawing to win a Kindle Fire electronic reader.

After earning a first-round bye in the Region III Division II Men’s Basketball tournament, the second-seeded Cougars traveled to Erie Community College on Saturday afternoon to take on a hot Mercyhurst North East team that upset Niagara County Community College on Tuesday night to advance to Saturday’s semi-finals.

Genesee jumped out to an early lead after a Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) three-pointer and two Kevin Nascimento (New York, NY) free-throws gave the Cougars a 7-2 advantage about four minutes in. Mercyhurst then made a 10-2 run to take the lead, but no team held a lead larger than five points during the first half. In total, there were nine lead changes in the opening twenty minutes, and the Saints held a 39-38 advantage at the break.

Mercyhurst took control of the game at the start of the second half. The Saints scored the first five points of the second twenty minutes before Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) hit his second three-pointer of the afternoon to draw GCC back within three. With a 44-41 lead, Mercyhurst then scored 16 of the next 20 points and opened up a 15 point, 60-45 lead with 14 minutes to play. The Saints held their largest lead at 16 when they led 66-50 with just over 12 minutes to go. Genesee made a push and cut the lead to single digits at 82-73 with four minutes to play, but the Saints capitalized at the free-throw line and held off the higher seed, winning 99-82.

(#1 Deylon Bovell led the Cougars with 25 points in Saturday's loss to Mercyhurst North East)

Genesee shot just 34 percent on the afternoon and were only 4 of 25 from three-point range.

Bovell led the Cougars with 25 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Tyshawn Ferguson (Chicago, IL) netted 19 points and grabbed nine boards, Chan-Man added 14 points and Nascimento chipped in with 11 points.

Genesee ends the season with an 18-12 overall record and a 10-5 conference record. Mercyhurst North East will move on to face Erie Community College in the Region III championship on Sunday afternoon at 1pm.

Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce Gail Francis has been named February Employee of the Month. Francis is a key member of the Records Office, responsible for making sure various office procedures, such as interpreting, maintaining and updating student records, are completed accurately and efficiently, each and every day.

She extends a friendly and welcoming face to everyone who enters the Records Office, providing exceptional customer service to students and colleagues alike. She also tackles campus records management, making sure mandated retention schedules are up-to-date to ensure proper maintenance and disposal of records.

Francis has been a valued member of the Genesee Community College for 21 years, launching her career in 1991, and she treasures her friendly and helpful coworkers. She's also familiar with the college from a student's perspective, having earned her AS degree in Human Services from GCC.

She resides in Batavia and is engaged to be married.

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce Lindsay Chatt has been named February Student of the Month. Chatt enrolled in GCC after graduating from Oakfield-Alabama High School in 2010, and is working toward completion of a Liberal Arts degree in Math and Science, with a concentration in Chemistry, which she plans to parlay into a career in dentistry.

An exceptional student, Chatt is a nominee for the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence; has made the President's List for three semesters; and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, which recognizes academic achievement among two-year college students. The 19-year-old native of Oakfield also excels in the ballpark, leading the GCC Women's Softball Team as captain.

Press release:

Genesee Community College's four-part lecture series commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War continues from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, in room T102 at the Batavia campus.

Kevin Levin, a noted Civil War expert and author, will carefully recount the Battle of Crater, which is the topic of his latest book.

The Battle of the Crater was a botched attempt by the Union Army to punch a hole in the Confederate line outside of Petersburg, Va. After tunneling under the Confederate position, Union soldiers packed the tunnel with TNT and then ignited the fuse. While the explosion was spectacular, the Union attack was poorly orchestrated and resulted in more than 5,000 casualties – many of them African-American soldiers who led the charge.

Levin is an instructor and the chair of the History Department at St. Anne's Belfield School in Charlottesville, Va. His book entitled "Remembering The Battle of the Crater: War as Murder" will be available in June.

GCC's Civil War Lecture Series is free and open to the public. To register for any of the Civil War lectures, contact GCC's BEST Center at 345-6868 or email bestcenter@genesee.edu.

Other upcoming lectures include:

Tuesday, April 3

"From Bondage to Freedom" by Kevin Cottrell, founder of Motherland Connextions, will discuss the Underground Railroad as it pertains to Western New York and Southern Ontario. Motherland Connextions is one of the first multicultural humanitarian efforts helping to spotlight the many effects diversity had in sustaining freedom, and instilling courage and hope in our communities nationwide.

Tuesday, May 1

"The Longstreet Family in War and Peace" by Terrianne Schulte, Ph.D., of D'Youville College. This talk explores the impact of the war and its aftermath with the well-known and controversial southern family, the Longstreets. Schulte will focus on Confederate General James Longstreet, his second wife, Helen Dortch Longstreet, and his uncle, Judge Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, the author of "Georgia Scenes."

Also featured this spring is a Civil War Essay Contest open to all students between grades nine and 12 with the topic, "War Takes a Nasty Turn: The Changing Nature of the War of 1862."

The first-place essay winner will receive a color Nook electronic reader. The essay should be a minimum of three pages formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced. All citations must be in written in Chicago Style (www.chicagomanualofstyle.org). All essays must be received electronically by Friday April 13 to ddmaxfield@genesee.edu. Winners will be announced before the final Civil War lecture at 7 p.m. on May 1.

"It is a real honor to be hosting a lecture by Kevin Levin, who is a well-known authority on the Civil War," Derek Maxfield, GCC's resident Civil War historian and history instructor said. "We are also very excited to share the developing details about GCC's Civil War Encampment that is scheduled in late April at our Lima Campus Center."

Genesee Community College has also developed two blogs -- the GCC GLOW Region History Co-Op Blog – which seeks to help promote partnerships with GLOW region historical organizations -- and the Civil War Blog, which is a part of the Civil War initiative. The war blog promotes upcoming events at the college and will feature posts about history instructor Maxfield's work.

The blogs can be found at www.glowhistory.wordpress.com and www.civilwaratgcc.wordpress.com.